Missing Pieces
by angelsinstead
Summary: Luke and Laura have a happy life with their children, yet they are plagued by missing pieces. Will Luke be able to save their marriage before it's too late? This story is AU but does contain a great deal of canon.
1. The Introduction

**Author's Note: This is the love story of Luke and Laura. This story will be submitted in several parts and is based off the hit soap General Hospital. The story is AU but also contains a great deal of canon.**

**Also, I'd like to note that I do not own ABC, General Hospital, or the characters and I will NOT be receiving any payment whatsoever for writing this story. It is intended for entertainment purposes only.**

**~*~The Introduction~*~**

"Daddy, do you think Mommy will like the cookies we baked her?" asked his first-born, four-year-old Staci.

"Sure, she will, darlin'," Luke chuckled as he lifted Staci off the counter. The child was covered with flour from head to toe and pink strawberry-flavored sprinkles. He kissed her nose as he set her on her feet.

"We better get you cleaned up and get you to bed now. You can show your mommy the cookies in the morning," Luke told his daughter.

"Daddy, do I have to go to bed now?" Staci grumbled. She wanted to wait up for her mommy, but Laura always came home late as she was taking evening classes at the university.

"Yeah, it's past time for all little princesses to go to bed," Luke stated. He took Staci's hand and lead her to the bathroom. He washed her little face and hands with a wash cloth and cleaned her up the best he could. In the morning she would have to take a nice warm bubble bath.

A few minutes later, Staci crawled into bed holding her floppy-eared pink bunny. "Tell me a story, Daddy," she whispered.

Luke was accustomed to telling the twins Staci and Lucky stories of all his and Laura's adventures before they were married, but tonight he was far too tired to recount the tales. "Sorry, darlin'. The stories will have to wait till tomorrow night."

He kissed Staci's cheek and tucked her in. "Love you," he said as he switched off the light.

He headed down the hallway to the second bedroom that belonged to Staci's twin, Lucky. Staci and Lucky had been born on a cold winter's night, and Luke had barely had the chance to get his wife to the hospital before the first baby came. She was pink and precious and they had named her Stacia Leigh. Soon after, her brother had been born and they had named him Lucas Lorenzo Junior. For a year and a half after their birth they'd had a wonderful life, but then abruptly it all had changed.

Luke stood over Lucky's bed, staring down at his handsome little son. Both twins were blond and blue-eyed, just like their parents. Staci had Luke's midnight- blue eyes, and Lucky's were a softer shade of blue like his mother's. "Good night, Cowboy," Luke said as he grinned at his son. Lucky had conked out early and had missed the baking of the cookies. He was the light of his mother's life. She had cried when they had to cut off his fat little baby curls. Now enrolled in preschool with his twin sister, their baby boy was becoming a little man.

After tucking in his son, Luke walked down the hallway and slowly approached yet a third bedroom. A heavy sigh left his lips as he entered the nursery and stood over the crib. There on a blue blanket lay a tiny tot with dark hair, bronzed skin, and ebony eyes. He was sleeping peacefully, his little fist in his mouth.

Nikolas.

The twins had been babies, just 18 months old when the Cassadines had kidnapped Laura. Luke had been heartbroken without the love of his life. He had struggled to care for the twins without their mother. His sister Bobbi had moved in to help him care for the babies, and his best friend Robert Scorpio and his ex-wife Anna had helped out as well. Laura's mother, Lesley Webber did everything she could for her grandchildren even though she was distraught over the disappearance of her daughter.

Laura came back to Luke just before the twins 2nd birthday, but she wasn't the same. She had escaped Cassadine Island where she had been held captive by Helena, Stavros, and Stefan Cassadine. Only twice had she ever spoken to Luke about the horrors she had encountered while on the island.

_When he asked her if Stavros Cassadine had hurt her, she had looked deep into his eyes. Her hands were clasped in his and her voice came out to him in just a whisper._

_"He forced me, Luke. Stavros Cassadine forced me to have sex with him against my will," she said as tears hung in her eyelashes._

Luke had kissed them away, telling her he would never, ever let Stavros hurt her again. When Stavros showed up not even two months later, intent on taking Laura away from him, Luke had been forced to kill him. In the end, Stavros lay dead at the bottom of the staircase.

But it wasn't the end. Luke and Laura hadn't been able to go on in peace. It was only days later that Laura came to him with devastating news.

_"I'm pregnant."_

They both knew that the baby wasn't Luke's. Luke hadn't touched her since she had been kidnapped. She had been too afraid. She was fragile, and Luke hadn't pushed her. At night he would hold her and soothe her, but he never attempted to make love.

Now she was pregnant and the baby couldn't possibly be his.

Somehow they had made it through it, and Nikolas had been born. But he wasn't like the others... Not all. He was like an intruder in their home. When Laura attended her classes, Luke would care for Nikolas, but he was only going through the motions. He felt no emotion at all for the toddler lying in the crib.

It wasn't the child's fault. Nikolas couldn't help how he had come into being. He was a part of Laura, and she loved him just as much as she loved the other children. Luke was in awe of her and her great strength. She had gone through so much pain, but she never let it break her. She was a wonderful mother and he loved her more and more every day.

Nikolas was different from the others. The twins had been walking and talking by age two, but Nikolas didn't speak. Even so, he seemed to be an old soul, studying everything around him. Although he wasn't verbal, Luke knew he was intelligent. He'd often seen Nikolas group his blocks by color and shape and place them into patterns. He always played by himself and didn't seem to bond with his siblings. Luke knew that Nikolas's odd behavior often worried and baffled Laura. She had a tendency to worry about her children. She coddled them. That was just one of many things Luke loved about her.

"Nikolas," Luke whispered as he stared down at the dark-haired child.

Hate seethed up inside him, but it wasn't hate toward the baby. No - never him. Luke hated _himself _with a growing passion. The hate inside nearly consumed him as it tore at his soul. It kept him from bonding with Nikolas, and it had the potential to destroy his marriage. There was so much that went unspoken between him and Laura and it was just bubbling up under the surface, ready to burst. Luke feared what would happen when it finally did explode. Would he and Laura be able to survive it's aftermath?

Luke left the nursery and walked into the master bedroom. He stripped down to his t-shirt and boxers and crawled into bed. An evening of playing Mr. Mom after a long day of running the disco had worn him out. He was exhausted, so he decided to clean up the kitchen in the morning. He reached for Laura's pillow, hugging it against his face. He inhaled her scent as he missed his angel and her arms wrapped around him so tight. She was everything he had ever wanted, and the one he hoped he would never lose.


	2. Chapter 2

**~*~Chapter Two~*~**

"Eat the cookie, Daddy," a little voice said. Luke sat up groggily in his bed as he saw his four year old daughter and the crumbled cookie clutched in her little hand. There were crumbs and frosting all over his pillow.

"Daddy, you broke the cookie," Staci said sadly as she looked down at the demolished cookie within her hand.

"It's alright, darlin'," Luke soothed her. "There are plenty of cookies in the kitchen."

Another little voice giggled, and Luke turned over to see his son Lucky lying on his other side. His face was smeared with pink sprinkles and frosting, so obviously he had been into the cookies as well. "Did you save any cookies for your mommy?" Luke asked the mischievous twins. He tickled them, first Lucky, then his sister. Staci giggled loudly, trying to twist away from Luke's wriggling fingers.

Before Lucky and Staci could answer his question, Laura appeared in the doorway, a fussing Nikolas on her hip. "Luke, something's wrong with Nik. I think we need to take him to a doctor," Laura said as worry furrowed her brow.

"What's wrong, Laura?" Luke asked with a frown. "He was just fine when I put him to bed last night."

"It's mother's intuition. I know when something's wrong with my baby," Laura responded as she looked down at Nikolas. "We need to take him to the doctor."

"Well, alright," Luke said reluctantly. "But who's gonna watch the other kids?"

"Anna can watch them. I bet they'd love to play with Robin," Laura replied.

"I wanna go to Robin's house!" Staci spoke up eagerly.

Luke ruffled Staci's blond hair as he moved her aside and stepped out of bed. "I'll take my shower then... and you can call the doctor," he said to Laura.

"Okay, I will get the kids ready," she said. She started to walk out of the bedroom but then suddenly she turned and looked at her husband.

"Thank you, Luke."

Their gazes locked and held as the children scattered, leaving the bedroom. No doubt they were running off in search of more cookies.

"Anything for you, Laura," he answered.


	3. Chapter 3

**~*~Chapter Three~*~**

Laura arrived at the hospital carrying her baby boy, Nikolas. He was fussing softly as Laura spoke to the receptionist at the front desk. She then took a seat in the waiting room until it was time for her son's appointment. "What's wrong with you, Nikolas?" Laura asked as she stared into the dark-brown eyes of her son.

He only whimpered and turned away from her. He never kept eye contact long. There were many times Nikolas didn't seem to hear his mother. Laura worried, because it didn't seem like he had bonded to her like the other children had.

*Maybe that's my fault,* Laura fretted. After all, she had despised Nik's father. He had been abusive and sadistic. Laura considered herself very lucky to have escaped from him with her life.

When she had discovered she was pregnant with Nikolas, she had been less than thrilled. She already had two beautiful babies, a boy and a girl, and she wanted no reminders of the horrid Cassadines. She had briefly considered ending her pregnancy, but in the end, she couldn't do it. She vowed to love her baby as much as she loved Staci and Lucky. And now here he was, the sweet baby boy in her arms. He was adorable, even though his features reminded her of his dark-haired father.

"Ohhh Nikolas, I hope you will be okay," Laura said as she kissed her son's little cheek.

Just then Luke walked in and sat down next to her in the waiting room. "I just dropped the twins off at Anna's. They're thrilled to be spending the day with Robin. What's going on with Nikolas?" he asked.

"I'm not sure, Luke," Laura said as she stroked Nik's ebony hair. "I just know something is wrong... and I want to ask the doctor about it. Maybe it's me. Maybe I have done something wrong."

"No, no... it isn't you," Luke said soothingly as he lay his hand upon hers. "You're a wonderful mother, Laura."

Laura shook her head as sadness came to her eyes. "I haven't been the best," she said as she held back her tears.

"When have you ever done anything wrong?" Luke questioned.

Laura didn't answer because the nurse was calling Nik's name. It would seem that it was time for his appointment. Laura stood up, holding her son. "It's time, Luke," she said.

"Who's his doctor?" asked Luke.

"Dr. Tom Hardy," Laura replied.

Together, they were taken by the nurse into an exam room. Nikolas whimpered as Laura set him down on the exam table. "What's going on with the little guy?" the nurse asked cheerfully.

"I just have some concerns," Laura answered. "And for my own peace of mind, I'd like to ask the doctor about them."

"Alright," the nurse replied as she took Nik's temperature and his other vital statistics.

A moment later, the doctor walked in. He smiled cheerfully as he approached his little patient. "Hi, Nikolas," he said. "What a big boy you've gotten to be."

Nikolas fussed loudly as he attempted to climb off the exam table. He didn't want the doctor to examine him. He became very agitated as Dr. Hardy pressed a stethoscope to his chest.

"What are the concerns you've been having about your son?" he asked Laura.

Laura just suddenly blurted it out. She'd been holding it in for far too long. She told Dr. Hardy all the worries she had regarding Nikolas. "He's not like the other children," she added softly. "What could be wrong?"

"Nikolas might be a bit developmentally delayed," said Dr. Hardy. "Or it might be a more than that."

"More than that?" Luke spoke up. "What do you think could be the problem?"

"I'm sorry, but Nikolas appears to be displaying symptoms that he may have Autism," answered Dr. Hardy.

"What- what's Autism?" Laura asked. "I have heard of it... but I am not entirely sure..."

"Autism is a neural development disorder. Children who have it often display difficulties with communication and social skills," the doctor explained. "I have a pamphlet explaining all about it. If you want, I could set Nikolas up with an appointment with a specialist. We could have him tested."

Tears shone in Laura's eyes as she looked down at her baby boy. She didn't want Nikolas to have this disorder. She wanted him to be carefree and healthy, just like his siblings. As her lower lip trembled, she agreed to set up an appointment for Nikolas with the specialist.

"Thank you, Doctor," Laura said as he left the room. As soon as he departed, Laura burst into tears. Luke took her in his arms, trying to comfort her.

"Nik will be alright," he tried to reassure her.

"No, he won't, Luke. It will never be alright."

Luke didn't know what to do or say as Laura was very distraught. "I think you should talk to your mother. She's a doctor. She might have some encouraging words about Nikolas."

"Okay, Luke," Laura sighed in defeat. "Let's go see my mom."

~*~o~*~

"Laura, Luke, it's so good to see you!" Lesley exclaimed as they walked in the door. "And there's my cute little grandson!"

Lesley beamed at Nikolas. "Where are the other kids?" she asked Laura and Luke.

"They are with Anna," Luke responded. "How are you, Lesley?"

"I'm great, Luke. But what's wrong with my daughter?" Lesley asked when she saw Laura's downcast expression. "Laura?"

"Mom, Dr. Tom Hardy says that Nik might have Autism. He wants him to see a specialist... for testing."

"Autism?" Lesley spoke as she looked at the baby.

"Yes, because he doesn't speak... and he has other symptoms."

"Ohhh Laura," Lesley said as she wrapped her arms around her daughter. "I know this is scary, but everything is gonna be alright."

"That's what Luke said," Laura spoke as she gave her mother a hug.

"Luke's right," Lesley stated as she smiled at her son-in-law. "Nikolas will get tested... and if he has Autism, then we will deal with it."

"I don't want anything to be wrong with my baby. We've already been through too much," Laura said to her mother.

"I know, Sweetie. You've been through way too much... but you're home now; where you belong... and everything's gonna be alright."

"I hope so, Mom."

Luke watched as Laura's mom cuddled her and tried to quell her tears. After awhile, Laura had calmed down. She said she was ready to go pick up Lucky and Staci from Anna's.

"Give those mischievous twins hugs and kisses from me," Lesley said as her daughter and son-in-law walked out the door.

"We will, Mom," Laura promised.

~*~o~*~

Staci and Lucky had a lot of questions in the car on the way back from Anna's. "What's wrong with Nik?" Lucky asked. "Is he sick?"

"Does Nikolas have a fever?" asked Staci.

"He's fine," Laura responded.

"Then why did he go to the doctor?" Lucky asked.

"It was just a check-up," Luke spoke up. "Now quit asking so many questions."

"Can we have cookies for supper tonight?" Staci piped up from the backseat. "I want cookies with vanilla icing and strawberry sprinkles."

"You've turned our children into Cookie Monsters," Laura accused Luke.


End file.
